Pelletier-Roy and Maine first winners of the Critérium National de Montréal

MONTRÉAL, Sept. 12, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - Rémi Pelletier-Roy and Katherine Maine beat the rain and their opponents to become the inaugural winners of the Critérium National de Montréal, side event of the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal. This is a development competition for North American riders with a UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) license in the Juniors, Espoirs and Élites (17 to 29 years old) categories. This new event announces the comeback of women's cycling to international competition in Montréal – a first since the last World Cup in 2009.

Already a familiar figure of the WorldTour series after winning the Challenge Sprint Pro ahead of the WorldTour pros last year, Pelletier-Roy took the new event by storm, cruising ahead early in with junior Derek Gee to add this first edition to his several Quebec champion titles. Gone after three laps, the two had the race won halfway through the 40 laps of the Mont-Royal circuit and would have won with a more solid lead had they not crashed together on the slippery tarmac with four laps to go. On the last stretch, Gee attacked early but experience prevailed and Pelletier-Roy was the one who raised his arms on the line. At 25, the rider from Longueil said he was still aiming at the world championships and Olympics in Rio before putting an end to his pro career to go ahead with his studies.

Gee's fine performance came after impressive display of strength and boldness by another junior rider, Ottawa'sKatherine Maine, who led from the start of the women's event before breaking with Carrie Cartmill towards the end of their 30-lap course. Despite her young age and relative lack of experience, Maine outsprinted her opponent for the win, Kirsti Lay taking third place.

ABOUT THE GRANDS PRIX CYCLISTES DE QUÉBEC ET DE MONTRÉAL

The Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal, the only two spots on the UCI WorldTour in America, contribute to fulfilling one of the primary objectives of the UCI WorldTour: the globalization of élite cycling. These tour stops join the list of existing, officially sanctioned events in Europe, Oceania and Asia. Since 2010, the organization has been responsible for the planning and the conduct of the GPCQM and counts on the invaluable support of public and private partners to maintain its standards: the government of Canada, the government of Québec, the city of Québec, the city of Montréal, the National Battlefields Commission, the Québec Tourism Bureau, Montréal Tourism, Québecor, Air Transat, and TVA Sports (official Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal).

ABOUT THE UCI

The InternationalCycling Union (UCI) is the international federation of cycling, recognized by the International Olympic Committee (ICO). The UCI oversees the worldwide management and promotion of the eight disciplines of cycling.